Leadership Traits

EVERY MARINE IS A LEADER

Transformation

Endure the training. Witness the transformation.

Those who desire our title must first endure our training, and undergo an everlasting change that is external, internal and undeniable. The transformation will not happen overnight, but will last a lifetime.

Semper Fidelis

Always Faithful. Always a Marine.

Latin for "always faithful," Semper Fidelis is more than the Marine Corps motto. Becoming a Marine is becoming the always faithful—true to the mission, to the Marines by your side, to the Corps, to your country.

It is Friday, Feb. 13, 2015. An unusually chilling breeze sweeps the battlefield as Republic of Korea and U.S. Marines prepare to assault the Cham Sae Mi Close-Quarters Battle Training Facility during Korean Marine Exchange Program 15-17.

The Royal Thai Air Force along with U.S. Marines and Navy personnel held Friendship Day, Feb. 13, to allow school children the opportunity to see some of the training the two nations have been engaged in here during Exercise Cobra Gold 2015.

More than 50 Marines and Sailors from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis-Response, Detachment A, and Sailors assigned to Naval Air Station Sigonella, helped beautify the Church of San Nicolo in the Piazza Dante in Catania, Italy, Jan. 31.

Approximately 90 Marines and 800 Georgian Soldiers are headed to Afghanistan as part of NATO's Resolute Support Missions — here's a look at how they prepared.

Badass Alert British Army Lance Cpl. Joshua Leakey braved heavy Taliban fire in order to aid injured Marine Capt. Brandon Bocian, becoming the only living British recipient of the Victoria Cross for service in Afghanistan. The Victoria Cross is the highest British military honor. Lance Cpl. Leakey showed complete disregard for his own safety and ran to the wounded officer despite being under attack from 20 Taliban. Read More: http://ow.ly/JQ7qc Give him one.

See what it takes to become a modern day Marine Raider. MARSOC-Always Faithful-Always Forward screeners begin their West Coast tour at The Combat Center at Twentynine Palms tomorrow. Get an inside look at the assessment and selection process and see the tour dates and locations here: http://go.usa.gov/3xXfP

Monday got you down? Give us 20 seconds and we'll give you all the motivation you need for the week ahead. Marines at the demolitions range drop the bass.

The Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group helps Georgian soldiers in their final exercise before their deployment to Afghanistan. "I feel as though the team as a whole has built a great rapport and long-standing relationship with the Georgians, and it will pay dividends for the rest of our deployment." — 1st Lt. Edmund Horace, Infantry Officer (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Taylor Schrick/Released)

Get ready for job envy and take control of an AV-8B Harrier in the latest episode of "Welcome to the MEU." Be sure to follow the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit for more in the series.

A Quick Reaction Force with 1st Law Enforcement Battalion train with machine gun drills, vehicle formations, and tactical site exploitation to combat imminent "enemy threats" during I Marine Expeditionary Force Exercise 2015. Read More: http://go.usa.gov/3cAR9 MEFEX-15 is a ten-day MEF-level exercise that tests training and readiness to deploy in support of combatant command operations at Camp Pendleton Scout, California.

Give us 15 seconds and we'll tell you all you need to know about the Corps' latest news. This week's headlines include the Sgt. Maj. Green's relief and appointment ceremony, a reminder about the Corpswide seasonal uniform change, and information about the Integrated Task Force creating gender-neutral job and training standards in 29 Palms. Link to full episode: http://ow.ly/JHgsb

"The Commandant's Own," The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps is symbolic of the Corps' professionalism, discipline, and espirit de corps. It travels more than 50,000 miles a year and is the only full-time active duty drum corps in the United States Armed Forces. Watch the full #HouseOfCards-style video and see if they are performing near you: http://ow.ly/JJbDY (U.S. Marine Corps video by Staff Sgt. Oscar L. Olive IV/Released)

You voted and this week's Corps Top Shot comes from Sgt. Emmanuel Ramos. He captured An AV-8B Harrier with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161 (Reinforced), 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, preparing to take off aboard the USS Essex during Amphibious Squadron/Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration Training off the coast of San Diego, Feb. 24, 2015.

The week's best photos from around the Corps. Help select the "Corps Top Shot" by liking, commenting on or sharing your favorite image. The image with the most combined hits by the end of the day will be crowned as our photo of the week.

Marines are bringing in the big guns and sending the Howitzer down range to destroy, neutralize and suppress the enemy. Read More: http://go.usa.gov/3cBCF

Protect the House — — — Marines with the 24th MEU participate in a vertical assault raid exercise at Udairi Range in Kuwait, Feb. 16, 2015. A contingent of MEU Marines is ashore in Kuwait as part of scheduled sustainment training. The 24th MEU is embarked on the ships of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and deployed to maintain regional security in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Todd F. Michalek/Released)

Aircraft Fire Rescue Marines are battling the blaze during training to prepare for real-world scenarios. "This is a fire. This is a living, breathing thing. Get them in there and start putting into motion what we've talked about." — Sgt. Shane Phelps, Aircraft Rescue Assistant Section Leader Full Video: http://ow.ly/JvS6m

A look into the life of the man responsible for the first flag raised during the battle of Iwo Jima. Read more: http://go.usa.gov/3crUk Before the unforgettable image of the flag raising on Mt. Suribachi was taken, a smaller flag was flown. 1st Lt. George Greeley Wells' carried this flag from the day he checked in to the moment Old Glory whipped in the wind atop the volcanic mountain.

Watch live as "The President's Own" United States Marine Band performs live as they honor the brave men and women of America's "Greatest Generation." Link to Live Stream: http://www.marineband.marines.mil/

Monday got you down? Give us 20 seconds and we'll give you all the motivation you need for the week ahead. Marines take it to the skies when training to provide aerial support to the Corps' ground combat element.

On this day 70 years ago, Marines raised the flag atop Mt. Suribachi. "The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years." — James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy

A 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing F/A-18 Hornet, based out Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., crashed earlier today near Statenville, Ga. The two members of the aircrew ejected safely and were treated for minor injuries at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Ga. There are no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground. Personnel from Moody Air Force Base's 23d Wing responded to the scene and assisted the Georgia Forestry Commission and Echols County fire and sheriff departments, which initially responded to the accident location. The crash site has been cordoned off by military officials. The cause of the mishap is currently under investigation.

Learn what a Marine Corps Fire Team consists of and how they train to destroy the enemy in this episode of "Welcome to the MEU." Be sure to follow the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit for more in the series.